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Definition of virginia opossum
virginia opossum
Plural:virginia opossums
• noun
1
North American A nocturnal, solitary marsupial native to North and Central America, characterized by its prehensile tail, white face, and well-known defensive mechanism of feigning death when threatened.
Example
"The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial found north of Mexico and plays a vital ecological role by consuming large quantities of ticks."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often colloquially referred to simply as a 'possum' in North America, though true possums belong to a distinctly different order of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea.
• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Virginia opossum. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 17, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/virginia%20opossum